The Westlock Senior ‘AA’ Warriors will head into the Christmas break pondering an 8-2 Dec. 16 road loss to the Eckville Eagles.
The defeat leaves the club with a 2-6 record in the North Central Hockey League with four games to go until playoffs.
Team manager Joe Kuhar said they were short players due to illness and other commitments.
“We didn’t have a full roster and that was really the difference,” he said. “It’s pretty critical to have a full team, especially against a group like that. They’re a fast and solid team, so we need to keep our legs fresh.”
Eckville caught the Warriors off guard in the first period, scoring a goal five minutes in and two more late in the first.
Westlock attempted to regroup in the second, with Scott Ivey capitalizing on a play by Taylor Heck and Brett Bujold four minutes in. The Warriors were then able to take advantage of a power play opportunity three minutes later when Philip Ferenac caught a pass from head coach Mike Ivey courtesy of Jake Chizma to make the score 3-2.
Unfortunately, the Eagles regained their two-goal lead with seven minutes to spare and the rest was history. By the time the third period started Eckville was up 5-2. Despite the Eagles sending six players to the penalty box, the Warriors were unable to put any more on the board while Eckville added another three.
Kuhar said the Warriors simply ran out of steam.
“We didn’t come out in the first period like we should have,” he said. “We lost our stamina and we just couldn’t keep up with their pace.”
With their four-game road trip finally completed, the Warriors are resting up for January, where they play two marathon weekends.
The Daysland Northstars come to the Rotary Spirit Centre Jan. 5 before the Warriors head out to Bonnyville to play the Pontiacs the next night.
After that, the team wraps the regular season at home Jan. 12-13 hosting the Devon Barons before a rematch with the Eagles.
“We can definitely play with them if we have a full roster,” said Kuhar. “When they come back to us in the New Year, we’ll have a different situation for them. We’ll have our stronger players and give them a different look for sure.”
